A Smarter Cityscape Through Innovation At Every Level

You may have been hearing a lot about Schneider Innovation At Every Level, made possible by EcoStruxure.™ What does it mean to innovate at every level of a building? Let’s take a closer look …

First of all, we improve safety and efficiency innovations around our connected products. After all, the Internet of Things (IoT) starts with the best of things. Connected products improve power management, in turn enhancing building safety and reliability. For example, our Masterpact MTZ connected circuit breakers let facility managers stay connected remotely through smartphone notifications and locally through an app that provides secure wireless diagnostics. This embedded connectivity is empowering. It enables them to do root cause analysis quickly to trace the trip of breakers and easily download digital modules on a breaker to quickly reconfigure without stoppage. Our Smart Panel systems then help optimize energy and maintenance spend by making energy use visible. What you can see you can manage better.

From there, we deliver automation and control through industry-leading building management systems that provide data output customized to the needs of every stakeholder, from the facility manager to senior management. This non-siloed hub bridges all applications, enhancing control across the facility, including control at the edge of the network. As a result, both facility engineering and business executive personnel are able to quickly access relevant, aggregated information and make decisions that map to their energy goals and business priorities.

Turn data into action

No system is left untouched. We can connect building management systems to lighting, HVAC, access control, space management, blinds, computers, and all kinds of sensors and sensing devices. The result is data — lots and lots of data.

This layer brings us to our innovations in the realm of apps, analytics, and services. As an example, The Tour Majunga, Paris’s second-tallest tower in the heart of the La Défense business district, reinvents the concept of office buildings. Its smart building management system collects and analyses data from strategically located sensors to automatically adjust temperature, lighting, and blinds based on actual real-time conditions (e.g., occupancy, sun trajectory) – and lets tenants adjust settings right from their smartphones.

On the edge of smart buildings

As leaders in building analytics, we’ve helped the world’s most sustainable building, Deloitte’s “The Edge” building in Amsterdam, attain the highest score ever awarded by the Building Research Establishment (BRE®) — 98.36% — and the distinction of BREEAM®NL New Construction certification of ‘Outstanding.’ The Edge uses a video screen dashboard in the lobby to share real-time energy consumption and efficiency data with building occupants and visitors while facility managers maintain optimal comfort for occupants with on-site and remote monitoring and control capabilities.

When building analytic recommendations are implemented, the results are obvious: enhanced building performance, optimized energy efficiency through continual commissioning, and reduced operating costs — all with a strong return on investment and an improved building environment. And finally with tested, validated, and optimized solar systems, buildings can be more sustainable.

A smarter cityscape

As you gaze upon your own cityscape this evening, think about this: more and more smart buildings are changing the very face of urbanization. Smart cities are our tomorrow. What an amazing opportunity, thanks to Innovation At Every Level, to co-create a more sustainable, efficient future.